Cooker



R. A. TRACE May 23, 1933.

COOKER Filed OCIC. l5, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet, l

INVENTOR Russ ELL A .I'Rac E.,

ATTORNEYS R. A. TRACE May 23, 1933.

COOKER Filed Oct. 15, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Russa-L mar/mcs,

A'r-roRNEYs R. A. TRACE May 23, 1933.

COOKER Filed Oct. 15, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 2J.. :d \|1m\ r/ t IWL M m &| Ft/ /7 7, m W2 rl 1U mw :H

5 6. M f Ft Pc lNVENTOR RUSSELL ILIRACE,

ATTO R N EY Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATESY Pa'lrslsi'rv OFFICE RUSSELL A. TRACE, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO BUCKEYE IRON A ND .BRASS WORKS, F DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO COOKER Application filed October 15, `1932. Serial No. 637,957.

This invention relates to improvements in cookers for seeds and the like, preparatory to extracting the oils therefrom.

The cooker is composed of a plurality of superimposed units, each unit comprising a receptacle adapted to receive the seeds from an upper receptacle and to discharge the seeds into a lower receptacle.

It is an object of this invention ,to provide, in connection with the cooker, operating mechanism therefor located on ytop of the superimposed unit-s so that the mechanism for driving the parts of the cooker is remote from the operator and danger of harm is removed. Y

It is also an object of this invention to provide, in connection with a cooker, operating mechanism therefor in which the use of chains near the operator has been eliminated tom of the cooker, and foreign material suchv as discharged seeds and the like, does not accumulate, which causes the belts to slip and the gears to become clogged.

It is particularly the object to provide a very short drive between the power mechanism that operates the stirrers and operates the discharge doors from one kettle to the other, and which also operates the feed to the topmost kettle.

lt is an object to provide such a drive within substantially the diameter of the cooker, and to locate it at thetop of the cooker where it will not interfere with the adjacent presses and the actions of the men.

t is an object to provide such a drive, in which several driving chains will be in substantial alignment, and to provide a change speed mechanism in which all that is necessary is to detach the sprocket from the hub and mount a new sprocket thereon.

By locating' the operating mechanism on top of the cooker not only is vall risk of harm removed but the weight of the apparatus has been reduced by six or seven hundred pounds, and the width of the cooker l.has been reduced 50 nearly one-third.

substantially. By placing the drive mecha- These and otheradvantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of this invention.

` Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cooker showing the external operating parts.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is a detail showing a form of sprocket wheel upony one of the gear case shafts.

Figure 4L is a top plan view of the lgear case shaft. Y y y' v Figure 5 is a vertical, longitudinal vsection through the gear case.'

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5. i

Figure 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Figure 5. Y

Figure'S` is a top plan view of one of the cooker units.

Figure 9 is a shaft. l

The cooker issupported by means of supports l on top of which is a receptacle 2 adapted to receive the cooked seed for delivery to the presser, orto any other suitable object. Located above and on top of the receptacle is a plurality of cooker units, each composed of a lower oven-like section and: an upper container 4. Each container and the receptacle has a bottom 5 with a chamber 6 therein.v

The units are indicated by numerals 7,8 and 9, beginning with the lower unit. In the present rinstance three units are shown, but any number may be used, one placed on top of the other, as shown in Figure 1.Y

The bottom of each'container has a discharge hole or passageway 10 vtherein adaptcd to be closed by means of a closure 11 supported on one side of the hole or opening by means of a shaft 12 pivoted in` brackets 13, suitably attached to the bottom. On` the upper end of each closure shaft is an arm 14, attached at one end to the shaft, with a weight 15 thereon adjacent the other end of the shaft for holding the closurein a position to close the hole or opening inthe bottom of the container to prevent the passage of mateview showing the stirrer rial from the container to one beneath it. There is also attached to each shaft 12, adjacent the arm 14, a trip arm 16, the purpose of which will behereinafter described.

Extending vertically through the receptacle and the containers is a stirrer shaft 17, whichhas stir'rer blades 17a mounted thereon for agitating the material within the A containers. The lower end of this stirrer is supported-in bearings 18locatedin the floor of the receptacle2. The upper end of this shaft is supported by means of a suitable bearing 19, located in a cross bar 20 supported on top of the topmost container. On the upper end of the shaft is a gear 21 inclosed within a gear case 22 to keep foreign matter away from the gear.

The gear casing is supported by means of brackets 23. which havethereon bearings 24 for supporting a main drive shaft 25, which extends transversely across the top of the superimposed stack of containers.V On this main drive shaft is a pinion 26 which engages the gear21 for rotating the stirrer shaftxand the lstirrer blades thereon. This main shaft is driven by means of a pulley 27. ysuitably supported on top of and atone edge of the upper container is a feed trough 28. which has located therein a feed screw 29. This feed screw has on one end a sprocket wheel 30. A similar sprocket wheel 3() is also mounted on the main drive shaft.

These two sprocket wheels 30 are connected by means of a sprocket chain 31 for driving the feed screwfrom the main'drive shaft. In this feed trough is a discharge door 32, whichiis normally closed to retain the material in the trough, but may be open for discharging the material into the upper one of the` cooker container units.

Located on top ofv the upper unit and ad-A jacent the main drive shaft is a reduction gear case 33, which has a shaft 34 rotatably mounted: therein.V This shaft has on one end, without the case, a sprocket wheel 36 connected to a sprocket wheel 35 on the main drive shaft by means of a sprocket chain 37. The sprocket wheel 36 is composed of three parts, a part 36a? *rigidlyattached to the shaft. anfouter part 367), on the periphery of which are the sprocket teethand'bolts 360, vby

whichthetwo parts 36a and 36?) are at f 57 extending downwardly into a casing 58,

taehedto each other.` v I By this vmeans the diameter of the sprocket wheel'36 mav'be varied to yvary the relative speed of rotation between the shaft 25 and the shaft 34."Y 1n orderthat the shaft 34 `may bave'a relativelyv greater speed of rotation a smaller part 36?) may be provided. By providing alarger partr36?) the speed of rotation of the'shaft`34 is reduced in comparisonV with the lspeed of rotation of the shaft 25. On the shaft 34 within the gear case is a worm'38f'whichengages a worm gear 39 located fon the; shaft'40 suitably supported in bearings in the gear case. On the shaft 40 is a. worm 41 which engages a worm gear 42 located on a shaft 43. The shafts 43, 34 and 25 are parallel and are substantially in the same plane so there is a direct line of action between the drive shaft and each of the shafts located in the case.

Gn the shaft 43 without the gear ease is a loosely mounted sprocket wheel 44 adapted to be engaged by a clutch 45 for rotation with trip arms 16 as it moves upwardly to -successively drop the closures for the discharge of material from one container to that beneath it. 1

The vveights 15 tend to hold these closures in a closed position, but when the trip finger Y 49 strikes the arm 164 the weight is elevated and the closure is dropped so that thermaterial mayv pass from one container to that beneath it. After the finger passes beyond the trip arm the weight 15 can close the closure. 1 v f Adjacent the top of each cooker unit is a bracket 50, to which is pivoted a lever lfintermediate the ends. thereof. The' upper,v

part of each lever is bent to one side, as inasy dicated by the numeral 52, so that it is in the p path of the trip finger 49 asit moves upwardly. These levers are for the purpose of operating the closure of the feed trough and for thatreason the lever located on the upper unit hask attachedthereto one end of a link 53, while the other Vend of this link is attached to one end of a bell-'crank lever 54, pivoted at the point 55.

The other end of the lever 54 is attached by means of a link 56 tothe discharge door or closure 32 for the feed trough. The lower end of each lever 51 acts as a weight to close this closure 32 when the trip finger passes beyond the part'52. Each arm 14 and its weight 15 are provided with a stop, whichv consists of a vertically extending member and supported resiliently therein by means of a spring 59. i Thepurpose of this stop is to prevent the closure from closing with a slam.

yoke for engaging the clutch. The lowerv end of the lever is engaged by means of an arm-62 located on the upper end of a vertical shaft 63, pivotally supportedby means ofv brackets 64.

minier On the lower end of this shaft 63, adjacent the receptacle 2, is a handle for rotating the shaft and operating the clutch to throw it out of engagement or into engagement with the cooperating clutch member located on the sprocket wheel all. Pivoted at the point 67 to the bottom of the lower unit is a lever 66, which has on one end a weight 68, while there is pivotally connected to its other end one end of a rod 69 which operates a timing whistle 70.

Vhen the apparatus is in operation the seeds are placed within the trough. The screw therein moves the seeds toward the discharge opening. In the position shown in F igure l, it is assumed that all of the containers are full and in o-peration. The cooking action is taking place. The sprocket chain with the finger 49 thereon is constantly moving. The finger i9 is about to contact the lower trip arm 16. As it moves up it trips this arm and causes the closure to open so that the material in the lower cooker unit drops into the receptacle 2. After the trip finger 49 passes beyond the trip arm 16 the closure closes.

This trip finger passes up and engages each succeeding arm 16 so that the material in each container is successively discharged to a lower container. Vhen the trip linger reaches the part 52 of the lever 5l, located on the top unit, it operates the closure of the feed trough to open so that additional seeds or material are discharged from the trough into the upper cooker unit.

These operations are repeated one after the other and form one cycle in the operation of the apparatus. For another cycle the trip finger passes over the sprocket wheels and again starts its upward movement. After the finger has reached its uppermost limit it travels downwardly from the upper sprocket wheel to the lower sprocket wheel. The speed at which this finger travels may be regulated by regulating the size of the sprocket wheel on the shaft 3d.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within this invention such modifications as come within the scope of my claims and my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a cooker, the combination with a plurality of superimposed containers, a stirrer shaft extending vertically through the containers, a main horizontal shaft supported on the uppermost container and having a driving connection with said vertical shaft, a. second horizontal shaft mounted upon said uppermost container, a driving connection between said main shaft and said second shaft, and a trough in which said second shaft operates, a third horizontal shaft mounted on said uppermost container, said third shaft having a sprocket wheel connection with .said main shaft 'and adapted `to be driven thereby, said third :shaft having a connection ytoa sprocket wheel -overhanging the periphery vof the uppermost container, ya

sprocket wheel mounted on the peripheral sidewalls of' the lowermost container., a chain passing around the last named sprocket wheels, Va trip member on the chain, and means operated by the tri-p member to cause material in the containers-and the trough :to 4be discharged.

. 2. In .a cooker, the combinationwith a plurality of superimposed containers, a

stirrer shaft extending vertically through the inga gear case, said case having lreduction gearing "therein, a sprocket wheel mounted on Vthe peripheral side walls of the lowerniost container', a chain kpassing around the last named sprocket wheels, a trip member on the. chain, and means operated by the trip member to cause material in the containers and .the trough'to be discharged.

3.111 a cooker, the combination with a plurality of superimposed containers, a stirrer shaft lextending vertically through the containers, a mai-n horizontal shaft sup'- portedon the uppermost container and'having a driving connection with said vert-ical shaft, a second horizontal shaft mounted upon said V.uppermost container. Y a `driving connection between said main shaft and said second shaft, and a trough in which said secondshafft operates, a third horizontal shaft mounted on said Vuppermost container, said third shaft having .a sprocket Wheel connection with said Ina-in shaft and adapted to be driven thereby, said third shaft having a connection to a wheel overhanging the periphery of the uppermost container, a sprocket wheel mounted on the peripheral side walls ofthe lowermost container, a chain passing around the last named sprocket wheels, a trip member on the cha-in, and means operated by the trip member to cause material in the containers and the trough to be discharged, and a clutch connection whereby said overhanging sprocket may be disconnected from said main driving shaft.

4. In a cooker', the combination with a pluralityof superimposed containers, a stirrer shaft extending vertically through the containers, a main horizontal shaft supported on the uppermost container and having a ydriving connection with said vertical shaft,

a second horizontal shaft mounted upon said uppermost container, a driving connection between said main shaft `and sald second shaft, and a trough in which said second shaft operates, a third horizontal shaft mounted on said uppermost container, said third shafthaving a sprocket wheel connection with saidmain shaft and adapted to be driven thereby, a part rigidly attached to said third shaft and a part removably Aattached to lsaid first named part, said third shaft having a'Aconnection-to a wheel over- 'upon said uppermost container, a driving connection between said main shaft and said second shaft, and a trough in whichl said second shaft operates, a third horizontal shaft mounted on saiduppermost container, said third shaft having a sprocket wheel connection with said main shaft and adapted to be 'driven thereby, said third shaftv having a connection to a wheel overhanging the peripheryv of the uppermost container including a gear case, said case having reduction gearing therein, a sprocket wheel mounted on the peripheral side walls ofthe lewermost container, achain passing around the last named sprocket wheels, a ltrip mem- I ber on the chain, and means operated by the trip member to cause material in the containers and the trough to be discharged, and a clutch connection whereby said overhanging sprocket may be disconnected from said main driving shaft.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature.

RUSSELL' A., TRACE. y 

